Page 5 of One Reckless Moment

“Hey, P, how’s your day?”

I let out a breath. “It’s been good. I took Shadow out for a session in the sun this morning.”

She laughed. “Ugh, I miss the ranch in the springtime.” My sister looked to the side, likely to hide the emotion in her eyes.

Charlotte was four years older than me and had always been connected to this ranch in a way I didn’t completely understand. Growing up, she would ramble on about how she was going to marry a cowboy and build a big house on the property that she would fill with six kids. She wanted to grow old here and watch her kids grow old here.

That pretty much went to shit when she was sent to Southern California a few years ago to oversee the properties that Brooks Enterprises opened. It was all part of a big ploy from my—now estranged—Gran who was plotting Lottie’s marriage to her douchey childhood sweetheart. For a long time she was miserable, but now she was engaged to a great man who worshiped the ground she walked on.

A man whose life kept them in California.

“How’s Owen? Getting anywhere with wedding planning?” Lottie visibly perked up at my question.

“Owen is great. I’m really settling into this house, and I think he’s finally considering letting me buy him a horse.”

“Don’t lie to your sister’s face,” Owen shouted in the background, prompting Lottie to roll her eyes.

Owen Kelly was the son of a tech mogul in Los Angeles. When he visited the ranch for the first time last summer, he was so far out of his element it was hysterical. He adjusted better than we had predicted, but now Lottie was bugging him nonstop about buying land north of LA so she could have some animals and feel more at home. The one thing he still couldn’t get past was his fear of horses. The irony wasn’t lost on any of us.

“I’m wearing him down,” Lottie whispered with a wink.

I giggled.

The two of them were so cute it made me jealous. I wanted that—I wanted the partner who balanced me and made me endlessly happy.

“Are you beyond excited for wedding events to start?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah. As stressed as I am, I’ve always wanted a fall wedding on the ranch. It’s going to be breathtaking.” Her tone was wispy, and I swore I saw hearts in her eyes.

“It’s going to be so pretty. And the bachelorette trip is almost here.” I wiggled my brows at her. “A trip away will be such a blast. Vegas, here we come!”

“You’re going to be put on a leash in Vegas.” Lottie shook her head on a laugh.

Lottie and Owen were in the end stages of planning a joint bachelor and bachelorette party in May. I couldn’t wait to get away for a long weekend, and I was excited to finally meet the rest of the Kelly family.

“Party pooper,” I pouted.

“Yeah, yeah, cry me a river.” She laughed as her doorbell rang. “Oh, that must be Owen’s siblings. Some of the girls are coming over for brunch. I’ll call you later, P. Love you!”

She hung up before I could respond. A pang of jealousy ached in my chest as I went back to editing the pictures of Shadow. The bitter quiet in my office caused a ringing in my ears.

My sister and I had always been an inseparable pair, but she’d recently grown close to Owen’s sisters. We still talked on the phone occasionally, but not multiple times a week like we used to. I knew Lottie was always there for me, but it also felt like now she had a whole other life I no longer fit into.

The incessant talking and constant laughter I was once used to faded as she moved on to better and brighter pastures, leaving me in the kicked-up dust.

Today, for example, she was having brunch with the girls on this lovely Saturday morning while I was working because I simply had nothing better to do. My options were to mull around the ranch and bug my siblings, or work. At least one of those options was productive. I took a deep breath, put on some music, and went back to editing.

I needed something that could distract me from the loneliness I was feeling, and work was just the thing.

2

SHIRTLESS COWBOYS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL

PAIGE

The fresh smell of coffee wafted through my apartment as I filled a travel mug and topped it off with my vanilla creamer. I had an extra pep in my step this morning since I woke up to a text from my best friend Taylor stating she was in town for the weekend.

Impromptu girl’s nights could really lift spirits around here.